Washington – Pence’s stop in Georgia will put him squarely at odds with his one-time boss, former President Donald Trump, who’s endorsed and is supporting former Sen. David Perdue’s primary challenge against Kemp.
I am proud to offer my full support for four more years of Brian Kemp as governor of the great state of Georgia!,” the former vice president emphasized in a statement this weekend, as the Kemp campaign announced that Pence will campaign with Georgia’s conservative governor on the eve of the state’s May 24 primary.
But regardless of Trump’s endorsement and support, with less than two weeks to go until Georgia’s primary, Kemp enjoys large leads over Perdue in two key campaign metrics – public opinion polling and fundraising.
The face-off between Kemp and Perdue is one of the most high-profile GOP primary showdowns in the 2022 election, but with Trump and Pence on opposing sides, Georgia’s gubernatorial primary also seems to be an early skirmish in a potential 2024 Republican presidential nomination showdown.
Trump for months urged Perdue to challenge the governor, and late last year he endorsed Perdue a day after the former senator launched his bid.
Perdue declared his candidacy a few days after Abrams, an election reform champion and rising star in the Democratic Party, launched her second straight bid for governor.
Trump held a rally with Perdue in Georgia a month and a half ago.
Trump, who remains the most popular and influential politician in the Republican Party as he continues to play a kingmaker’s role in the 2022 GOP primaries, repeatedly teases another White House run in 2024.
Meanwhile, Pence is making all the moves necessary in advance of a potential presidential run.
